Longer school days trialled from today to help pupils catch up after the pandemic
Joanna Lovell
Senior Social & Newsletter WriterIf successful, the pilot scheme could be rolled out further.
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A trial of longer school days has begun in Wales today to help kids catch up on lost classroom time after the pandemic.
Children will spend an extra five hours in class per week under the pilot scheme that's taking place across 14 schools.
The trial is focused on supporting disadvantaged pupils and schools affected during the pandemic and pupils will take part in sessions such as art, music and sport, as well as academic lessons.
If successful, the 10-week scheme that includes 1,800 pupils could be rolled out further.
Millions of schoolchildren across the UK missed out on vital lessons during the pandemic due to lockdowns, school closures and isolation rules.
Even now, almost two years since schools first had to close, children are isolating for at least 5 days with Omicron, which can mean missing a good week of more of school.
In England, the idea of extending school hours has been brought forward, but has yet to be put in action.
Welsh education minister Jeremy Miles said:
'The trial is a great opportunity to gather further evidence on how we use and structure time at school and how that might evolve in the future.
'We will be learning how these additional sessions might improve well-being, academic progression and increased social and cultural capital.
'As we move forward, we will continue to support schools with even stronger community engagement so that we deliver on our mission to tackle the impact of poverty on educational attainment and achieve high standards for all.'
However, not everyone is happy with the trial taking place.
Laura Doel, director of education trade union NAHT Cymru, said it had not been provided with any evidence to support extending the school day.
She said:
'There may be some educational benefits to reforming the school year and we are open to discussions on what those benefits may be.
'All the focus from the Welsh Government has been on the school day fitting in with family life and working patterns, with no mention of the education benefit to learners.
'All the evidence available suggests that there is little or no data that supports keeping learners in school for longer because longer periods in school does not increase a child's capacity to learn.'
Meanwhile in England, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has insisted that GCSE and A-Level exams will go ahead in the summer but results will feature some teacher assessed grades.
Students will sit papers after they were cancelled in 2021 for the second year in a row.
But he ruled out an immediate return to the pre-COVID-19 grading system, saying 'we recognise that those students sitting their GCSEs or A-Levels have had their education disrupted.'
Would you support a longer school day to enable your child to catch up? Let us know in our chat thread below.
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